A Light in the Tunnel
by Amaranth the Immortal
Summary: -Sequel to Her Dark Memories- Amu and Ikuto are happily living their lives after Gaito is put in jail. But the peace doesn't last much longer once Gaito escapes with the help of his son. And this time, his plan involves tearing Amu and Ikuto apart.
1. Prologue

AN: Well, it's about time I got this up! Here's the sequel to Her Dark Memories that I've been having difficulty with. With the help of Moi Productions Ea Heinz, I was able to finally pull together a plot. Thanks sooooo much!! Anyway, here's the prologue; the other chapters will be much longer of course...

Disclaimer: It's mi- ... not mine... :(

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The rain poured down on the ceiling of the prison, the sound echoing through the cold halls. Gaito sat on his hard, lumpy excuse for a bed. His brow was furrowed deeply as he stared at the concrete making up the floor, listening to the water falling down to the hard earth just outside his bared window. Finally working out the last of the kinks in his latest scheme, he raised his eyes to the cloudy sky with a twisted grin on his face.

'I'd watch my backs if I were you two,' he thought, thinking of the two people he hated the most in this world: Hinamori Amu and Tsukiyomi Ikuto. Sure, Amu was a great help to his previous company and still would be if Ikuto hadn't come into the picture, but that didn't mean he liked _her_. He just enjoyed the fine assistance she could offer him. But now he was stuck in this rat hole and those two were out enjoying their lives to the fullest.

'Well, their happiness will be short lived. I can guarantee that.' A soft bump outside his window pulled him from his thoughts. Frowning, he lifted himself off the metal bed and walked over to the window. Wrapping his fingers around the cold black bars, he pressed his forehead onto them, trying to see outside. Suddenly, a face appeared in front of him and he stumbled away from the opening in the wall with surprise. A hand appeared with what seemed to be a small, but powerful and strong, saw resting in it. The figure immediately began rubbing the tool against the metal with force and it surprisingly slid through with barely a sound. Another hand appeared and pushed, causing the bars to give way and fall to the floor of the cell.

A person dressed in black slipped through the opening and landed lightly on his feet. He placed the saw on the ground before pulling at the black ski mask wrapped around his face. Shimmering white hair fell around his head, framing it perfectly, and shaggy bangs rested comfortably on his forehead. Glinting gray eyes gazed at Gaito, who was trying to get over his surprise. When the shock of the moment had dissipated, Gaito's lips curved into the same cruel smile on his face from before, the one that made you somewhat question his sanity.

"My son," he said gravely to the boy in front of him. The man with silver hair grinned and clasped his father's outstretched hand.

"Good to see ya, dad. It's been a while" he responded in a carefree, casual tone. He held his body in a lazy stance, but it seemed like he could be quick to react if need be. "So, how'd you wind up in jail? Did your crimes finally catch up with you?"

"You could say that," Gaito said, grimacing slightly. "And would you mind helping your old man get back at the people who put him here?"

"Don't talk to me in third person; it makes me sound like a kid."

"You are a kid."

"I'm twenty-six, dad. You had already gotten yourself a house and a hooker wife at my age."

"True," Gaito said nodding before quickly shaking him head. "Anyway, you'll help me won't you, my boy?"

His son hesitated and didn't answer immediately.

"But I don't wanna have to life like you. I don't wanna have to hide from the police all the time. I'd just prefer to live in a club and pick up a new girl every night."

"And where's that going to get you in life?"

"Does it matter? If I ever need the money, I'll just kill you and get the family fortune."

"That's my boy," Gaito said proudly, placing a hand on his son's shoulder. "Always thinking like a man." He abruptly grew immensely serious as he bored his eyes into his son's. "Will you help me, Kirai?"

"What would I have to do?" Kirai asked suspiciously. "If I have to do something that would make girls become repulsed by me, I'm not even going to consider it."

"Oh no, I'd never make you do something like that. Who do you think I am? Women always came first when I was your age."

"Even after you married mom?"

"Even then," Gaito replied, thinking of all the times he would be with another woman while his wife was just across the hall, never knowing. When she died in a car crash shortly after his children were born, he didn't even shed a tear. But he no longer focused on women after that; instead, his whole life centered on his corporation. His son, Kirai, and daughter, Nyx, had a nanny to take care of them so they were erased from his mind. He only began to pay attention when they were old enough to learn from him.

"Don't worry, my boy," Gaito said as he looked at his reluctant son. "All you would have to do is seduce a cute 18 year old girl."

"Well why didn't you say so?" Kirai said loudly. "If you did, we could be long gone from this rat hole."

"Speaking of which, why did you wait a few months before rescuing me?" Gaito asked while staring hardly at his only son.

"Didn't know you'd been arrested," Kirai said with a lazy shrug. "I read it in an old newspaper while sitting in an alleyway after getting drunk at the club."

Gaito frowned at his son. "You're going to have to drop that drinking habit of yours if you want to get this girl to fall for you."

"What? Doesn't she like to drink?"

"I doubt it."

"Shit."

Silence fell around them. After a few moments, Gaito pushed Kirai towards the window. As his son started to crawl through he said, "We're going to have to find an apartment near her and her boyfriend."

"Ooh, she's got a boyfriend. Well, not for much longer. It's always fun to watch relationships fall apart; especially when I'm the one causing the destruction. By the way, what's the girl's name?" Kirai asked as he climbed out of the window and helped Gaito through as well. They walked to the prison wall, stepping carefully around the bodies of the guards Kirai had knocked out when he arrived. Rain fell heavily around them as their boots splashed into the muddy puddles and Gaito covered up his orange prison uniform the coat Kirai had offered him.

"Hinamori Amu."

* * *

Amu shifted in her bed as she tried to fall asleep. Wide awake, she had been listening to the loud patter of rain against Ikuto's apartment window, thinking that was what was keeping her awake. But she knew, deep down inside, that was not the cause. Somewhere inside of her, she knew that trouble was brewing.

She turned around under the covers and snuggled into Ikuto's chest. His arms tightened around her, sensing her distress even in his sleep. His even breathing managed to calm her down momentarily and she quickly surrendered to her weariness.

Ikuto too felt a disturbance in his dreams. His brain was filling his mind's eye with an image of Gaito's laughing face and two other figures standing behind the previous director of Halloween. One was a slender girl with long black hair and a muscular young man standing beside her with a head of silver hair. Their backs were facing him and after craning his neck, he could see another girl kneeling on the ground in the direction they were facing. Her long pink hair covered her face as she rested on her knees and Ikuto could see tears sliding down her cheeks from her amber eyes. The man with silver hair stepped forward and placed am arm around her shoulder, comforting her. She leaned into him, feeling safe and secure and Ikuto watched silently with no emotion, his dream not allowing him to have any feelings or opinions for the scene.

'It's okay, Amu,' the man told her and she smiled up at him, nodding. He grinned back and kissed the top of her head. 'You don't need Ikuto.'

Just then, the black haired girl turned towards Ikuto, but her face was blurred and he couldn't make out her facial features. Gaito's menacing laugh filled Ikuto up completely as he watched with a neutral expression. The sight in front of him faded to black as he fell into a dreamless sleep, the kind that allows you to forget everything. And it was due to that dull sleep that when Ikuto woke up the next morning, he couldn't recall anything about the dream.

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AN: Ooh, FORESHADOWING!!! I love writting the conversations between Gaito and Kirai!! XD And yeah, Gaito has a son... PLOT TWIST!! (kind of...) Please review and the next chapter will come out really soon. Deal?


	2. Chapter 1

AN: Well, it's about time I got this up, right? I was going to update yesterday, but my laptop has been having some problems connecting to the internet quite a bit lately. (but I'm working on it!!) Anyway, here's chapter 1. And Shugo Chara chapter 42 is coming out soon!! Amuto fans unite!!!

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"Get up!" Amu shouted at Ikuto. He was still lounging in their bed at one in the afternoon. She'd let him sleep in since he had a long night performing at the club yesterday, but enough was enough. He was getting up now and she would make sure of it.

"No," he mumbled into the pillow he had securely pressed against his face with his arm. It was warm and comfortable beneath the bed sheets though it would be even more so if Amu joined him…

Amu sighed and reached forward, grabbing the pillow and yanking it away. Ikuto scrunched his eyes closed and covered them with his arm along with a loud groan.

"Get up," Amu growled at him.

"No."

"Yes!"

"No."

"Yes!!"

Ikuto shook his head.

Amu rolled her eyes and pinched the bridge of her nose, feigning irritation. She was actually quite amused with his act. But still, that didn't change the fact that he needed to get up. Realizing that she still held his pillow, she got an evil little idea. Lifting the pillow high above her head, she mustered up all of her strength and brought it down with much force on his face. It didn't get him completely since his arm was in the way, but the effect was the same.

Lifting his arm away, Ikuto looked up at her with a raised eyebrow. She just smiled innocently, hiding the pillow behind her back. He shrugged and closed his eyes once more.

'He's asking for it,' Amu sighed mentally. 'And his arm's not in the way anymore so this shot will be better.' Lifting the pillow once more, she wacked his face once more. Ikuto's arm quickly shot out and grabbed a hold of the pillow before she could pull it away. He pulled her down onto his chest so quickly that she didn't even have time to catch her breath. One of his eyes cracked open as he looked up at her, amused.

"Why are you trying to damage the merchandise, Amu?" he asked with a smirk, gesturing toward his face with the hand that wasn't holding her captive. Her face grew red and she pulled the pillow away from him while managing to sit upright. She repeatedly hit him with it all over; his chest and face being the main targets. After she'd hit him all over his upper body and few giggles escaped her lips, he decided it was time for the game to cease. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her down once more. The pillow slipped from her fingers as she went along willingly.

She rested her head on his chest and he kept one arm securely fastened around her while the other peacefully rested on her head.

"So," she began. "Are you up yet?"

Chuckling, he responded, "Yeah. But that doesn't mean I'm ready to leave the bed."

"Fine," Amu sighed. "Just make sure you're dressed and fed by five. You have to perform at the club tonight and I don't think that they'd appreciate it if you were late _again_."

"Yes, mother." He lifted her face to see her reaction. Her face was light pink with embarrassment, but she didn't try to squirm away from him or stutter.

"So cute," he said quietly, looking at her fondly. Now her blush increased and Ikuto smirked at his accomplishment. He'd made it a daily activity to make her blush deeply at least twice every morning. Lightly pushing her head back to his chest, he settled down peacefully with her. He loved the mornings they shared. These moments made him truly appreciate just how lucky he was to have her. He heard her sigh in content which in turn caused him to smile without her seeing. And it made him extremely happy that she enjoyed being with him as well.

The silence that surrounded the couple was comfortable. As usual, it was broken all too soon. Amu pulled away from him and smiled.

"Well, get up already. I'm not a morning person either, but at least I don't act like a baby about it."

Ikuto stuck his tongue out at her. She giggled before sitting up and dangling her feet over the side of the bed, having a few inches between her toes and the ground. Ikuto sat beside her in the same position, but his feet touched the floor easily with a few inches to spare. He put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, kissing the top of her head.

"Well, good morning to you too," he murmured into her hair before breaking into a large yawn.

She smiled, jumped off the bed, turned to face him, and grabbed his hand. Gently pulling off as well and leading him towards the doorway, she replied, "Morning, Ikuto." He grinned and tightened his hand around hers.

They entered the kitchen and Amu finally let go of his hand. She walked to the door to get the newspaper, only remembering it now. Ikuto went to get himself a cup of coffee.

Amu opened the door to the apartment she was sharing with him and bent over to pick up the paper. But when her hand was halfway there, it froze as she read the headline written in big bold letters that she couldn't seem to look away from. Refusing to believe what her eyes were showing her, she quickly reached forward and picked it up.

'Prisoner Escapes from Local Jail'

Amu quickly skimmed through the rest of the article. It said that the detailed information hasn't yet been released to the public and that if anyone thinks the matter of their safety could be possibly affected by this matter, they should come down to the station for further details. Amu was numb by the time she was finished reading. Turning back into the house, she shut the door behind her and walked toward the kitchen, mind blank and fingers trembling.

When Ikuto saw her enter the room, his concern immediately flared up.

"Amu?" he asked, walking up to her. Her eyes were glued to the paper she was holding in front of her. Frowning, Ikuto placed an arm around her shoulders, pulling her close and carefully plied the paper from her fingers. A feeling of dread grew within him as he read it for himself. He placed it on the small dinner table and wordlessly turned to Amu, pulling her into a tight embrace.

"It's okay Amu," he whispered as she shook with silent sobs. He lovingly rubbed her back, desperately trying to quench her fears. "It's probably not even him."

"But it could be," she cried. He cringed at the raw fear in her voice. "And he could cause so much harm to the both of us."

"I'll be fine, Amu," he cooed. Her sobs quieted down though he could tell she was no less afraid. "I'll always protect you."

Amu lifted her tear stained face to look at him. Though he wouldn't completely show it, he nearly broke his heart to see her so upset. She nodded in response to his words and lifted her face up so that her lips could meet his, never saying a word.

They walked through the front doors of the police office in silence. All around them, people scurried about and the building was quiet lively. Ikuto had his arm around Amu's waist and gently tugged her in the direction of the head police officer. His name tag read Tsukina Jun. He had a cleanly shaven face and looked to be barely thirty.

"Um excuse me, Tsukina-sama," Amu said quietly in her beautiful voice. He turned around to face her and frowned at the look of pure fear in her eyes. Glancing at her companion, the chief of police concluded that the blue haired man was hiding his own fear behind a mask of cold indifference.

"Yes?" Tsukina replied, glancing at them both again. "How can I be of service to you two?"

"I'm Hinamori Amu," the girl continued. "And this is Tsukiyomi Ikuto. We wish to know more about the prisoner that escaped."

Tsukina frowned. "We are actively working on the case as I speak. What else would you need to know?"

"We feel that the prisoner may be the one here that is an acquaintance of ours."

"How so?"

"Around a year ago, we had been associated with a man named Gaito. He wished to cause me, and in turn Ikuto, pain. We were wondering if the escaped convict is him."

"Ah," Tsukina said in understanding. He gazed at them both again. "Do you promise not to mention this to the public in any way?" They both nodded and the police chief sighed. "Then yes, it is Gaito." Seeing the fear in the Hinamori girl grow and Tsukiyomi's grip around her tighten, he quickly continued. "We are working as hard as possible on this case. If for whatever reason you feel that you are in danger, please come back here immediately. We will be able to protect you. But in the meantime, I think it would be best for you both if you went on with your lives like normal and tried to ignore this. Gaito will be contained in a matter of days, I can guarantee it. I have complete faith in my team here." With that, he turned around and walked away, heading off to further investigate this case.

Amu and Ikuto walked toward the doorway leading outside. Feeling the sunlight hit her face, Amu found it easier to calm down. Ikuto however grew no less stiff and remain silent.

"Why didn't you say anything in there?" she asked as they began their walk back home.

"Huh?" he asked, pulling away from his thoughts. Amu repeated the question, concerned for him. "I was just busy thinking."

"Well, that's significant," Amu joked halfheartedly. Ikuto pulled up a corner of his mouth in an attempt at smirking, but it fooled neither of them. They walked on in silence; Ikuto never taking his arm away from her. And she had no objections to it protecting her in the best way it could.

They were surprised to find the hallway full off boxes when they tried to get to Ikuto's apartment. It seemed that the greatest amount of boxes were next to the door beside Ikuto's.

"Ooh, new neighbors!" Amu squealed excitedly. Ikuto smiled at her behavior, the thought of Gaito pushed out of his mind momentarily. The door opened and a head popped around it. A man slightly older than Ikuto with silver hair gazed at the two of them, his eyes alight. His gaze lingered on Amu which Ikuto of course noticed.

"Hi," he said, stepping outside with a friendly wave.

"Hiya!" Amu greeted, waving back.

"Yo," Ikuto said shortly, not taking his eyes off of the man before him.

"You must be my new neighbors." He extended a hand towards them. "I'm Kirai."

"And I'm Amu," she said, taking his hand. Kirai shook it firmly and offered his hand to the man next to her.

"Ikuto," he said, not making any move to take his new neighbor's hand.

Kirai drew back his hand awkwardly and scratched the back of his head, looking at them both. Amu glanced quickly at Ikuto out of the corner of her eye. She'd have to have a little talk with him about his manners later.

Turning to Kirai and giving him a warm smile, she said, "I think it's about time for me and Ikuto to get going. See you around, Kirai!"

"Yeah," he replied with a grin. "and soon too."

"Soon," Amu agreed. Ikuto frowned deeply at her, his irritation quickly building. Well at least this matter brought him away from the subject of Gaito.

Kirai waved goodbye to them and turned back into his new apartment, locking the door behind him. Sitting on the couch in the living room was the one and only Gaito. He had a reflective look on his face as he gazed at the wall.

"What're you thinking about?"Kirai asked, not really interested.

"What Amu and Ikuto's reaction would be if they knew I was next door."

"Hmm, amusing." The conversation was quickly boring Kirai more than usual and he turned his back on his annoying father.

"So, how's Amu liking you?"

"We just met," Kirai responded dryly. "I may be a woman magnet, but even I can't work miracles."

"So, she hates you then?"

"No! No girl has ever hated me… except for that one old bird-feeding hag at the park, but that doesn't count. Amu seems comfortable with me around." A wicked grin appeared on his face. "But that Ikuto kid didn't seem fond of me."

"How much does he hate you?"

"Quite a bit though we've only just met. He was glaring at me the whole time. Truthfully, it was kind of annoying. I mean, how can I seduce a girl if some weird kid has his eyes fixed on me? Wait a minute, is he secretly gay and was just admiring my beauty!?"

"No," Gaito said, slapping his forehead hardly. "He's with Amu romantically. Why on Earth would he be gay then?"

"Well, maybe he isn't from Eart-"

"Kirai!"

His son immediately closed his mouth.

"Ikuto's not gay in any way so would you just shut up about it!?"

"Yeah, sure, whatever," Kirai mumbled.

"Thank you!" Gaito exclaimed, irritated with his son.

"I guess people get more unpleasant with age," Kirai said under his breath.

"I heard that!"

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AN: And that's that. Please review, okay? I checked my visitor traffic to this story and found that a whole bunch of people read, but don't review. So, please? For me? :) And I expect the next chapter to come out in a few days; probably around the Shugo Chara update in English (July 3). If the scans are late, I'll still update anyway... if I get some more reviews. I got around 20 favorites for this story and only 5 reviews. I'm not going to set any certain number of reviews since I don't like doing that, but please? It would mean a lot!!!


	3. Chapter 2

AN: Sorry for my lateness. My family came over for independence day and it was hectic. But I'm good now so hopefully the next chapter won't take too long to post. :) And I'm sorry about this chapter's shortness, but something really big happens in the next one and I couldn't really decide where to end this... Gah, I'm babbling TT Oh yeah, and chapter 42 of shugo chara... WTF?!?!? We WILL get our happy ending AT ALL COSTS!! I don't care how Peach-Pit does it, but they have to...

Disclaimer: Whoopsi doodles; I forgot the disclaimer in the last chapter... Well, I think it's kinda obvious that Shugo Chara's not mine. :(

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Shutting the door behind him, Ikuto's attention was quickly drawn to Amu, who was looking at him strangely with her hands on her hips.

"What's up with you?" Amu asked, staring intently at Ikuto. "Why were you so bitter to our new neighbor?"

"It was nothing."

"It was something."

"I was just irritated by the whole Gaito issue, okay?"

Amu's gaze softened as she looked at her boyfriend.

"Yeah," she said quietly. She walked up to him and gave him a warm hug. "Everything's going to be fine. Gaito will never find us."

"Of course," Ikuto replied, surprised at her. "Don't worry about me. As long as things stay as normal as they were this morning-"

"Normal?" Amu interrupted, giving him an incredulous look.

Ikuto ignored her and continued, "As long as things don't change, I'm fine." He reached around her and pulled her close to him, blowing into her ear. Her face flushed deeply which caused his smirk to appear. This was turning into a ritual. "And nothing's changed yet."

"Yeah," she whispered, wrapping her arms around his torso. "Wait a minute; weren't we supposed to be talking about your manners with Kirai?"

Ikuto looked annoyed that she was talking about his new neighbor so familiarly but responded nevertheless, "I'll work on them."

"Good," she said with a smile. "Now head off to work or you'll be late."

"Yes, your highness," he said stiffly, saluting her.

"You're supposed to salute to royalty?"

"Quit picking on me. I wasn't the top of my class as you know."

"You're supposed to bow. So since you say I'm 'your highness' then you must treat me so. Now, bow!"

"What!?"

"Bow."

He stepped forward and kissed the top of her head. "Sorry, I'm rebelling against the royal family."

"Then the police will arrest you."

"As long as you're the one doing the arresting," Ikuto began, taking one of her hands and encircling it around his wrist like a hand cuff. "I'll go along willingly." Amu's face turned bright red at his words and grew brighter as he leaned down to her ear level. "Make sure you treat me well."

"Pervert!" Amu screeched, pulling away from him. He whimpered quietly and launched himself at her, pulling her into his arms again. Amu yanked herself away and began running around the apartment, Ikuto at her heels, while shouting, "Ikuto you perv."

"I was wondering when you would say that," he chuckled, finally catching her. As they tried to regain their breath, Amu glanced at the clock.

"Holy shit, you're gonna be late again! One of these days, the club will stop hiring you."

Ikuto didn't respond; he just stared at her.

"Wow, Amu. It's not often I hear you curse." Amu's hands flew to her mouth. "But I like it." He pulled her hands away and planted his lips on hers. His arms tightened around her waist as she welcomed it and he, of course, deepened it. Reluctantly pulling away, he whispered breathlessly in her ear, "See ya."

Before Amu had time to regain her thoughts, Ikuto was already out the door, violin in hand. Amu raised a hand to her lips, lightly touching them with her fingertips. It's not often that they kissed that passionately.

A knock on the door pulled her from her thoughts and she mentally shook herself as she twisted the brass knob and pulled. Kirai stood waiting on the other side, a big grin on his face.

"Hey, Amu," he greeted.

"Hi, Kirai," she said, a little surprised at seeing him.

"I was wondering if you could help me unpack. I'd like to get it finished as quickly as I can. So, if you have the time…"

"Sure," she said, returning to her old self. "Let's go!"

"Great," Kirai said, giving her a smile. 'Perfect,' he thought.

"Man, it's cold in here," Amu said after fifteen minutes of unpacking.

"Yeah, sure is," Kirai said, looking towards the room his father was sleeping in, the door firmly locked of course. "I didn't install the heater yet so…"

"Oh," Amu replied. "Well, why don't we take a break and go back over to my apartment. We could have some hot tea."

"That sounds good," Kirai said, making his eyes sparkle for the effect.

'All according to plan,' he thought as he followed Amu to her and Ikuto's apartment. 'And if I'm correct, every musician at that club only performs for twenty minutes at time, meaning Ikuto will be coming home soon.' A wicked smile appeared on his face as he sat at the small dinner table, Amu facing away from him towards the tea pot. 'Perfect.'

"What kind of tea do you want?" Amu asked, turning to face him.

"Whatever you're having."

Amu smiled and turned back to the cupboards, getting two cups. Kirai silently lost the attitude that he'd been keeping up; the one he thought would best attract the girl. He took a quick glance at her behind, quickly approving. He stopped staring as she turned to him, two steaming cups of tea in her hands.

"Here you go," she said, placing one in front of him. "I hope that warms you up."

"Thank you, Amu," he replied politely, inwardly cringing at his choice of words. He'd never say anything like that under normal circumstances.

She seemed to accept it all the same and smiled, turning back to her cup of tea. He took this time to actually study her appearance. Her sense of style was great; he approved of the gothic punk attire. Her long pink hair looked like it would feel nice entangled in his fingers. Her expressive golden eyes would look amazing when hazy with lust or half crazed with passion. And her lips; they looked so sweet that he just wanted to taste them right then and there. He quickly tried to shake off his thoughts, but to no avail. After all, nearly all of his private thoughts centered on women and everything related to that subject.

His eyes were still zeroed in on her lips and she had yet to notice, gazing at the tea in her hands. She was innocent and the innocent ones were always fun. He stared to imagine what her lips would look like swollen with his kisses when the doorknob turned and Ikuto stepped in, immediately freezing as he caught sight of Kirai.

"Ikuto!" Amu shouted happily. "You're back."

Ikuto didn't respond; he just glared at Kirai who glared defiantly back.

"Do you want some tea?" Amu asked cheerily.

"No," Ikuto finally said coldly, never taking his eyes from Kirai.

"Um," Kirai started, feigning awkwardness. "I think I should go now." On the inside, he was pleased everything went according to plan and Ikuto saw him alone with Amu.

"Are you sure?" she asked. Ikuto tore his eyes from Kirai to shoot Amu a surprised and hurt glance which she didn't notice.

"Yeah," Kirai said with a small smile. He gave her a small wave. "Bye."

Amu shut the door behind him and thought out loud, "I wonder what that was all about."

Ikuto only grunted in reply. Amu wordlessly walked towards the fridge and pushed Kirai from her mind as she looked through the shelves. "What would you like to eat for dinner, Ikuto?"

"Nothing; I'm not hungry." When Amu turned to face him questioningly, he said," I'm just gonna go to bed; I'm really tired." And with that, he wordlessly walked toward their bedroom.

Amu was left alone in the kitchen with no one but her thoughts. She turned back to the fridge, frowning, and twisted a can of Coke out of the six-pack. She snapped the can open and sat down heavily at the dinner table, sipping absently from her soda.

'What was up with Ikuto?' she thought, swallowing a mouthful of the strong bubbly liquid. 'He seemed really annoyed at something. Wait a minute; could this somehow be connected to Kirai? After all, he started acting weird once we met our neighbor.' Amu took another sip. 'No, it's probably just Gaito. But Kirai is a possibility. And all of the feelings I felt coming from Ikuto seem very familiar… too bad I can't remember what they are.'

Amu stood up and rinsed the half empty can out n the sink and threw it in the recycling bin. She looked at the two tea cups she'd used with Kirai and quickly washed them in the sink, the hot water burning her skin. She didn't even notice; she was just too deep in her thoughts. Drying her now pink hands, she opened up a cupboard and pulled out a bag of strawberry flavored Twizzlers. Ikuto had picked them out. She pulled one out and absently gnawed on it as she made her way to the bedroom.

Ikuto was lying on the bed when she came in. She gazed at him as she walked by into the bathroom, taking a pair of pajamas with her. Quickly brushing her teeth and changing, she stepped back out and crawled into bed beside Ikuto.

"Ikuto," she whispered.

"Yeah?" he responded in the same tone. He turned to face her though Amu couldn't see his face in the darkness except with the dim light of the alarm clock. But right now, her head was blocking out its light so it was of no help.

"Are you okay?"

"Never better."

Silence fell as Amu ran out of things to say.

"If you're done, can I go back to sleep?" he asked shortly.

"I- I just wanted to know if everything's alright. You seemed very upset earlier."

Ikuto remained silent for a while, not speaking. Suddenly, he crushed her to his chest, causing her to lose her breath.

"Do you love me?" he asked. Amu could see his eyes since she moved and they were boring directly into hers, completely serious.

"Well, yes of cour-,"

"And do you love me and only me?"

"Yes, with all my heart." She was no longer embarrassed of saying such things. She knew it to be entirely true.

Ikuto sighed with relief at her words and dipped his head to kiss her. She responded automatically, her hands moving up to stroke his face. Soon, they broke apart for breath and Ikuto rolled Amu over so that she was beside him. He molded his body around hers, her back to his chest, and listened to her breathing slow down.

"What was that about?" she asked. "Did you begin to doubt me?"

"No," he responded firmly, holding her securely. "I just wanted to hear you say it out loud."

"I love you."

"And I love you too."

Ikuto could practically see her smile in the darkness and felt her body become slack as she fell asleep.

"Thank you, Amu," he whispered. "But that doesn't make me feel any better about him."

* * *

AN: Again, sorry for the lack of action and plotliness, but I'll make up for it in the next chapter; I promise!! Anyway, please review!! I'll update faster if you do. :)


	4. Chapter 3

**Hey, everybody!! I changed the Author's Note text. I didn't like using page breaks; too much trouble... So, now I'm back to my trusty bold lettering for the time being. Yeah, I know that wasb't really important, but I can't think of anything else to put... And I've been spending a lot of my time earning money to buy music from iTunes. My latest obession has been the vocaloid, Hatsune Miku. Listen to her; it's amazing how she's mostly a computer... Anyway, I hope you enjoy this chappy. It catapults the entire story plot. I mean, how long did you expect Ikuto to hold out against Kirai? I had to make him crack at some point!! ^.^**

**Disclaimer: *sigh* Tell me, if I owned them, would I be writting fanfiction? Yeah, I didn't think so...**

Amu groaned as she slid her legs into a pair of loose dark jeans. She had to go hunting downtown for a dress and she knew she wasn't going to enjoy it. Especially since Ikuto would be coming to help pick one out. She clasped her bra on and pulled a light blue t-shirt with "Adidas" printed in big bold letters on the front over her head. Sliding on a pair of flip flops that had peace signs all over them, Amu found her wallet in the pocket of the pants she wore yesterday and stuffed it into her pocket.

She wordlessly walked past Ikuto who was waiting by the front door to the apartment and made a bee line for the elevator. Ikuto smirked and quickly locked up before sprinting after her, catching the elevator without a second to spare.

"Did you really think you could get rid of me that easily?" he asked, amused. Amu huffed and crossed her arms, refusing to face him.

"I just know that whatever you pick for me to wear won't be something I'll like. And I know that you'll force me to buy it. It's just the way you are."

Ikuto grinned and leaned down so that he was level with her sensitive ear. "And yet, you still fell in love with me."

Amu flushed brightly and turned away from him completely. Ikuto reached forward and embraced her tightly.

"Cold shoulder, huh? Well, that's new," he remarked, rolling his eyes, the sarcasm dripping from his voice.

"How about this one?" Ikuto asked. He walked to where Amu was a few racks away and held up a hot pink dress that was _extremely _short and strapless. Amu just stared at it, agape. "It's easy to get out of." Ikuto wagged his eyebrows.

"Pervert!" she squealed, hitting him on the arm. He chuckled and put it back, looking through the rest of them.

"What about this?" Amu asked, holding up a light green dress for Ikuto to see. Ikuto gave her an exasperated look after glancing at the dress which would show none of her curves.

"I'm not gonna have my date where a dress that looks like an oversized beach towel."

Amu stuck her tongue out at him and returned it to the rack. She scanned the rest of the dresses and was about to give in to Ikuto and let him choose since none of these were appealing to her. Thankfully, she spotted one more. Her eyes widened at its simple beauty and she quickly grabbed it.

"Ikuto!" she shouted, sprinting up to him. "Look at this one!"

Ikuto wearily turned to face her, expecting something truly ugly, but found it to be quite attractive.

"Go try it on."

Amu nodded and rushed into the dressing room. She slipped the dress on and looked at herself in the mirror. The dress was white and stopped at her knees. It was made of light partially see through fabric. The sleeves were one centimeter wide straps and connected with the low back. It had a certain look of childish innocence while showing her mature beauty at the same time. The effect was mesmerizing. She stepped out of the changing booth and pirouetted in front of Ikuto, showing off all of the angles the dress had.

"Well?" she asked breathlessly. Ikuto didn't say anything; he just stared. He walked up to her and kissed her lightly on the forehead, then on the lips. He nodded against her head and walked toward the counter, never saying anything. She saw him take out his wallet and sighed.

'I guess that means he likes it.'

* * *

"Hold still," Amu growled as she attempted to tie Ikuto's navy blue tie for what felt like the hundredth time in the last five minutes.

"But this tux is itchy," he whined playfully as he fiddled with his cuffs again.

"Well, you'll just have to get used to it," Amu said, irritated. Her patience was wearing thin. "We were invited to this party only because you're Kazuomi's step son and of course the fact that you're performing tonight."

Ikuto grumbled nonsense as Amu finally managed to secure his tie. She stood back and held him at arm's length, looking him over. She nodded approvingly and started to turn towards the doors to the ballroom. Doing last minute touch ups on Ikuto's outfit was stressful, but it was well worth it in her opinion. Besides, she did have to admit: he looked quite sexy in a tux. But there was no way she'd actually tell him that. It would do so much damage to his already inflated ego.

Amu had her white dress on and had added white lilies to her pink hair, tying together her outfit. Ikuto placed a possessive arm around her shoulders as they pushed on the door and entered the overcrowded room. Not recognizing anybody, Ikuto steered Amu towards the shadows on the wall. He never liked these parties though he did have to admit that they were bearable as long as Amu was his date.

"Hinamori Amu?" a sickeningly familiar voice asked from behind the couple.

'Oh please Kami," Ikuto pleaded, his eyes turned to the heavens. 'Let that not be who I think it is.'

"Kirai," Amu greeted, turning to face the approaching neighbor, a warm smile on her face.

'Damn it,' Ikuto swore as he wearily turned to face Kirai.

"Hello, Amu," Kirai said, smiling at her. He shifted his eyes to Ikuto's. "Hello, Ikuto."

"Kirai," Ikuto said coldly, growling on the inside. "What're you doing here?"

"I'm here due to my father."

"Oh," Amu said, surprised. "Who's your father?"

"He's just an ordinary businessman who made a lot of money last month."

"Uh huh," Ikuto responded, not believing him at all. There was something about Kirai that gave him a feeling of suspicion though he appeared completely harmless.

"Ikuto," Kazuomi greeted, placing a large hand on his shoulder. "You're up next." He then walked off to greet two newly arrived guests.

"He must be really busy," Amu commented, looking after Ikuto's step father with pity.

Ikuto turned her to face him. "Wish me luck." He gave her a quick kiss on the lips before walking up to the stage. Amu and Kirai were left alone together, much to Ikuto's dismay. Kirai was quite pleased though and stealthily moved closer to Amu so that their hands could easily brush.

Ikuto walked to the center of the stage and raised his violin. The crowd grew silent and walked off of the dance floor, making room for whoever felt like actually dancing.

"Amu," Kirai began, stepping in front of her and holding out his hand. "Would you like to dance?"

"Sure," Amu agreed happily, taking his hand. She merely thought of it as a dance between friends.

Ikuto grew cold as he watched Amu and Kirai walk onto the floor. His grip tightened on the neck of his violin and his bow. Hatred for his neighbor welled up inside him as he saw Kirai's hand go on Amu's waist. And he felt the dull pain of his heart throbbing as Amu willingly put her hand on Kirai's shoulder and allowed her new partner to take her hand.

Stiffly, Ikuto raised his violin and rested his chin on it. He pressed his callused fingers on the strings and drew the bow, creating a beautiful, yet sorrowful melody. He forced himself to watch his love dance with another and it made him feel like a knife was going through his heart. Had he done something wrong? Was it his fault that Amu didn't seem bothered to be in the arms of another man?

Kirai glanced at Ikuto out of the corner of his eye and mentally smirked. Everything was going smoothly just as he had assumed. He looked back at Amu who didn't seem uncomfortable though he clearly saw that she wasn't holding any romantic feelings for him.

'Well, she's not my type anyway,' Kirai thought, turning his eyes away. 'She's too nice.' He cringed at the word. 'Innocence is good in a woman, but this goody goody kindness and ridiculously large amount of generosity is too much. I'm not going to give up the plan, but I don't think it's possible to make her fall for me. No, of course she could love me if I wished her to. After all, I am Kirai. But I'm not interested so I don't want to waste my time.'

He turned to look at Ikuto who had stopped looking at the couple. Instead, his eyes were closed and he had a deep frown on his face. 'He looks totally pissed off, but it seems like he's contemplating something. Well whatever; I don't care. Anyway, I don't think I'll make Amu fall for me on purpose. I just want Ikuto to believe she is.'

Ikuto pulled his bow along the violin in what felt like a never ending note. When it finally ended, his lifted his bow from the strings and bowed stiffly to the clapping guests. He walked off the stage and put his violin back in its case. He walked over to the door, not looking at Amu or Kirai, and placed his violin by the door. He needed a few more moments to think through his newest decision. Finally deciding to go through with it, he turned back to the ballroom and approached Kirai and Amu.

"Amu," he said, not even acknowledging Kirai. "Can we talk? Privately?"

Amu nodded and he took her hand, leading her to the balcony. Completely pushing Kirai from his mind, he was suddenly overcome by a massive wave of nervousness. But nevertheless, he was adamant about his decision and took Amu by the shoulders, staring deeply into her eyes.

"I- Ikuto?" Amu squeaked cutely, surprised at the amount of seriousness in his eyes.

"I can't wait anymore," Ikuto said, his voice raspy from the raw emotion he was feeling.

Amu looked up in shock. What was he talking about? He roughly pulled her to him, crashing his lips against her own. There was so much passion and not enough restraint in his movements. It made her wary of responding. He pulled away and held her securely, his eyes suddenly extraordinarily soft. When he spoke, it was in a tender, caring voice that Amu never heard before and didn't think him capable of producing.

"Amu," he began, gazing into her eyes again. "Will you marry me?"

Silence fell around the couple as Amu tried to take in what he said. Her heart skipped a beat as his words registered in her brain and their meaning was interpreted.

"Marry," she said blankly, staring in shock. "You?"

"Well, of course me," he said, looking at her strangely.

Another awkward silence fell around them. It was broken by Amu's shout of, "But that's crazy!"

"What?" Ikuto asked, his voice turning cold and hard to disguise the hurt he felt in his heart.

"We only confessed to each other not even a year ago. Don't you think you're rushing things a little too much?"

"Is that the problem? Or is it because you aren't sure you want to be tied to me that much? Do you think that maybe you'll tire of me and want to move on to some other guy?"

"No, Ikuto!" Amu shouted, hurt that he would even think that. "I just-"

"Don't say anything else," Ikuto said emotionlessly, his bangs shading his eyes. "I understand perfectly."

"No, Ikuto! You don't!"

"I do," he said and turned away from her.

"Ikuto wait!" she shouted after him, tears forming in her eyes. He showed no sign that he had heard and continued on. He reached the door and picked up his violin. Something from the corner of his line of vision caught his eye and he turned towards it. Kirai was looking at him, an air of smugness surrounding him. Ikuto glared at him and turned away, leaving both Kirai and Amu behind. Kirai smirked at him, pleased at how much Ikuto had helped him in Gaito's plan.

Amu was still on the balcony. She had fallen to her knees and tears were steadily streaming down her face. Her sobs seemed endless as she watched her tears fall onto her knees.

'Why?' Amu thought, stunned at the recent turn of events. 'What did I do to make him act like that? What caused this? I thought he had more faith in me.'

**..........Heh heh heh. Yeah. Uh, don't kill me!! I'll make up for this later on :) I promise!!! I have already started to write the next chapter so if I get enough reviews, I'll post it by Wednesday. (If I can remember which day is Wednesday. I often lose track of what day of the week it is during summer TT) It has some Amuto lovin' and we all want that after this chapter, right? :D I know _I _do. **


	5. Chapter 4

***sigh* I told myself to update in the morning before I had to go out, but I overslept. TT I can't really say I'm surprised. I'm no morning person... And about thirty seconds after I rolled out of bed, I heard my ride pull up. But even though i was still late, it was weird how my brain somehow just knows exactly when to get up... Like during the school year, I wake up a few minutes before my alarm... Does that happen with anybody else? Does your brain have a built in all-knowing clock or something? O.o**

**I saw Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince this morning!!! . . . I loved it soooooo much; it might even be my favorite!! ^-^ And it was much more humorous than I expected...**

**Disclaimer: Blah blah blah, don't own, don't own, don't own...**

Kirai yawned widely and shot a glance at his father. It was ten o'clock in the morning and he wasn't exactly what you'd call a morning person. His father was though so naturally that didn't make Kirai a very happy camper.

"Why'd you wake me up, old man?" Kirai asked groggily, wiping the sleep from his eyes again.

"I wanted to discuss our plan," Gaito said, thinking over his plot once more.

"Speaking of your plan," Kirai began. "I still don't know all of the details."

"And you don't need to," Gaito said vaguely. "you just have to worry about Amu."

Kirai huffed and turned away from his much disliked father. Sometimes, he really wished that he never broke his dad out of jail. It would've saved him a few headaches.

"I want to create a new corporation," Gaito said out of the blue. Kirai jumped at the sound and quickly started to concentrate on what his father was saying. "I want to call it New Year since it's a new beginning for me." (AN: HOLIDAY!!! XD) Kirai rolled his eyes at the name, but Gaito ignored him. "And I want Amu to work with me. Takasu and Miyu aren't needed. They may have been good workers, but Amu was the best. Besides, it would be a lot more difficult to get those stubborn punks to join me again." He harshly clenched his white teeth. Again, Kirai didn't see what the problem was. They were all workers and workers could be easily replaced.

"You think that I could replace them?" Gaito asked, looking at his son. Kirai recoiled from his father. It's creepy how he always knew what his son was thinking. "No, Amu can't be replaced. She was far too valuable a worker. But now that she's thinking freely again, she won't join. That's why I want to break her again. Right now, I assume her weakness is her lover, Ikuto, so I've been trying to tear them apart. That's why you're here."

Gaito turned away and picked up an opened letter. "I've asked your sister if she can come and help. She's agreed and is flying to Japan as we speak. She'll probably be here tomorrow. I think that if she can get close to Amu, her soft spot will show itself." He turned his cold eyes to Kirai. "And you need to know nothing more."

Kirai recognized that stern gaze and knew that he should press any of his father's buttons. "Yes, sir." But the words still felt horrible on his tongue.

* * *

Amu silently sat at the kitchen table, slowly drinking her coffee. Ikuto sat across from her, reading the newspaper. The silence surrounding them was heavy and awkward, but neither of them had the strength nor will to break it. Amu desperately wanted to speak with Ikuto about the matter of last night, but his cold rebuff made her mute whenever she tried.

"Well, I'm off to work," he said abruptly, his chair scraping on the floor as he hastily got up and picked up his violin case. Amu opened her mouth to say something since this would be her last chance to try for at least a few hours. She extended her hand toward his retreating back and inhaled the breath she was planning to use to call him back. But the sound of the front door slamming behind him made the words die in her throat. She lowered her hand and finished her coffee, putting it in the sink to wash later.

She walked into the living room and looked at the blanket on the couch. Ikuto slept there last night while she had gotten the bedroom. She gazed sadly at it and picked it up, burying her face in it. Her eyes filled with salty tears which she quickly blinked away as she folded the blanket and fluffed the pillow he had used.

She was pulled from her thoughts by the chimes of the doorbell. She mustered up all of her strength and created a wall to keep her sadness inside. She opened the door and came face to face with the grinning Kirai.

"Hey, Amu," he greeted.

She forced a false smile on her face. "Hey."

"Is everything okay?" he asked, false concern filling his face.

"It's just Ikuto," Amu said sadly.

"What's wrong with him?"

"Well, something happened last night and he's upset with me because of it."

"Oh, I see."

"And I don't know what to do."

Silence fell around them while Kirai was beaming on the inside.

'They're having a fight,' he thought gleefully. 'My plan is going perfectly. Soon, he won't be in my way and I can finally get back to hitting on girls I'm actually interested in.'

"Hey," he began. "My sister is coming to visit tomorrow. Why don't you come over and hang out with her? It would get your mind off Ikuto for a bit."

"Oh, I don't know…"

"Come on; I think you and my little sis will get along perfectly."

"Well," Amu said, thinking it over. It's true; it would get her mind off Ikuto. After she's had some fun, she'll definitely be able to handle the situation better. "Alright, I guess I can."

"Great!" Kirai exclaimed enthusiastically. (On the inside, he wretched) "Come over at four. We'll have a barbecue. Well, I'd better go." He gave her a small wave before turning away, an evil smile on his face.

Amu sighed as she finished flipping through the television channels for the sixth time. Normally, she wasn't a channel surfer, but she was really agitated right now. Ikuto would be getting out of work in fifteen minutes and she wanted to confront him about their quarrel. She turned off the TV with an exclamation of frustration and he eyes landed on the phone.

'Miyu," Amu thought. 'She'll calm my nerves. And maybe she can even help me with Ikuto.' Deciding to go through with it, Amu dialed Miyu up and waited. It's been about three weeks since she had talked to her sister and she hadn't realized just how much she missed her.

'Well, with the Ikuto trauma, it's been difficult to concentrate,' Amu thought with a large roll of her eyes.

"Hello," Miyu's voice said. It was slightly scratchy, but Amu didn't mind. It was still her sister.

"Hey, Miyu."

"Oh, Amu! What's up?"

"Nothing good."

"Something happen between you and Ikuto?"

"How'd you guess?"

"There's just something in your voice. Well, Amu, you've come to the right person. What's the problem?"

Amu told Miyu the whole story about the entire night, including Kirai and his dance with her just because it was an event that night. When she was finished, Miyu chuckled.

"Well, Amu," she began knowingly, her amusement clearly showing in her voice. "It seems that your little Ikuto's jealous."

"What?" Amu asked incredulously. "Of who?"

"That Kirai person of course. It seems that Ikuto started acting up once your new neighbor came into the picture. Tell me more about him."

And so Amu did, recalling every encounter she's had with him, omitting the meetings she's had with him without Ikuto with her. She didn't want to explain why she didn't just stay away from Kirai. Even though she would insist that he was just a friend, Miyu would undoubtedly tease her about it relentlessly until Amu hung up the phone in frustration.

"Yep, I believe I'm right about this," Miyu said once Amu was finished. You could practically hear her nod her head over the phone. "Ikuto is probably feeling anger and resentment towards Kirai due to the advances he's made for you. And I'd watch Kirai closely if I were you, Amu. He sounds like he's interested in you."

"No, that can't be right," Amu laughed nervously, just as dense as ever. "He only thinks of me as a friend."

Miyu sighed and said, "Well, if that's what you think, Amu, I won't try to change your mind about him. But you should still keep an eye on him. Even if he means nothing, Ikuto sure seems to think he does. And that's probably why he proposed to you too. He was just feeling insecure about himself and wanted to prove to the world, especially Kirai, that you were his. Even if you don't feel you're ready for a commitment that big, you should still be ecstatic that he thinks of you on such a high level. I know Takasu isn't quite ready for that yet."

"But he will be, I'm sure," Amu said, happy that Miyu was able to help so much. She now saw just how correct her sister was about this.

'I'll just have to prove to him later that I love him and only him," she thought with a smile. 'But just how do I do that?'

"Hey, Miyu?"

"Yeah?"

"Um, how could I make sure Ikuto knows that I'm his?"

Miyu smirked evilly. "Well, there's always the obvious method."

"Which is?"

"Sex."

Amu nearly dropped the phone in shock. Sex? With Ikuto? Was she ready for that? Well, of course she loved him, but…

"I don't know Miyu," she said breathlessly. "I'm not sure I'm ready for that just yet."

"Well, whatever. Do what you want; it doesn't really matter to me."

Neither of them spoke for a few moments. Amu glanced at the clock due to pure habit and noticed the time. Ikuto would be home any minute.

"Anyway, Ikuto's going to be home soon." Amu suddenly got butterflies in her stomach when hearing her own words. She was suddenly incredibly nervous. "Thanks for your help, Miyu. Bye!"

"Bye, Amu."

Amu placed the phone back on its charging dock and sat on the couch from which you could perfectly see the door across the room. She took a deep breath and waited, turning the TV on so she looked casual enough. She flipped the channels over and over again and suddenly a show about outdoor cooking came on.

'That's right! Kirai invited me to a barbecue with his sister tomorrow. Why don't I bring Ikuto along? Then he'll see that I don't think about Kirai in the way he suspects. I'll ask him.' Amu smiled at her plan and relaxed into the couch, patiently waiting for him.

About five minutes into the show, the front door finally opened and Ikuto stepped through, soaking wet.

'Oh, man, it's raining,' Amu thought, panicking as she glanced at the windows. 'That always puts Ikuto in a bad mood. Mou, this sucks! And I really hope it isn't a thunderstorm. I can't deal with my fear of them right now.'

"Hey, Ikuto. How was work?" Amu asked; smiling in what she hoped was a cheerful manner.

Ikuto grunted in reply and wordlessly started to walk toward the kitchen.

"Wait!" she said loudly, reaching out a hand. He stopped and looked at her suspiciously. Amu swallowed heavily and took a deep breath. She beckoned for him to come over and he obeyed, looking wary.

"I just wanted to talk to you about something," she began, looking up at him nervously. "You know that you have no reason to be jealous of Kirai, right?" The mention of Kirai and her words caused Ikuto to stiffen immediately and he would not open his mouth to say anything. Amu sighed and continued, "Well, don't be, okay? I don't think of him like that." Amu reached forward and took his hand. "I only think of you that way." She pulled his hand up to her mouth and softly kissed his fingers, not meeting his eyes.

"You're positive?" he finally asked. Amu met his eyes which seemed hopeful. She smiled warmly at him.

"Absolutely; there's no doubt in my mind."

Ikuto grinned and kissed her. As Amu returned his action, grateful that he understood, Miyu's words managed to push their way into her thoughts. And what really surprised Amu was that she was actually beginning to think they made a lot of sense.

Amu took Ikuto's hands and guided them to the buttons on her dress shirt. Ikuto's eyes widened and he pulled his lips and hands away.

"Is that really what you want?" he asked incredulously. Amu fiercely nodded her head and Ikuto cocked an eyebrow. He took her firmly by the shoulders and leaned in close, gazing intently into her eyes. After a few minutes of what Amu felt was awkward silence, Ikuto pulled back and his eyes lost their concentrating look. To her immense surprised, he smirked at her.

"You're just want to that, because you want to prove you love me. Isn't that right, _Amu_?"

"No!" she exclaimed.

"Yes. Don't try to deny it, Amu. That was the reason behind this."

Amu averted her eyes and ducked her head in shame. Ikuto reached forward and took her chin firmly in his hand, lifting her head so her eyes met his.

"Just because you were willing to go that far just to prove it to me was enough. I know that you're not ready for that yet, but you were still thinking about doing it with me. And I thank you for that." He leaned close and nipped her ear. She yelped and he chuckled. "You must really love me. After all, a woman's most prized possession is her virginity and you were going to give that to me." His eyes softened and he gave her one of his rare warm smiles. "That's more than what I needed to hear." He pulled her into a warm gentle embrace. "Thank you."

Amu was surprised at how sweet her usually perverted lover was being and happily returned the embrace. She smiled and a warm tingling feeling blossomed in her gut. She was so glad to see this caring side of him. He rarely ever showed it and she always felt special when he revealed it to only her.

"So," Ikuto began, still holding her, "can you tell me the exact reasons why you turned down my proposal?"

Amu's cheeks turned a light shade of pink, but she responded nonetheless.

"Well, I don't want to rush things, but for completely different reasons than you suspected. I know right now, just as certainly as back then, that I want to spend the rest of my life with you. But when two people get married, they grow up. Once your husband and wife, you have to act like mature adults and I don't think I'm ready for that just yet."

"That's a silly reason."

"But that's still why. People always wanted me to grow up when I was younger and I held my immaturity in a death grip especially during my time at Halloween. And I just don't think I'm ready to give it all up quite yet."

"You won't have to give it up," Ikuto said with a grin. "I'm still going to act just as I am now and I expect you to do the same."

"It's not what you think that bothers me. It's just the whole idea of marriage that makes me nervous. I'm just not ready for such a big commitment."

"Then I'll wait for you." Ikuto's eyes were completely serious and honest as he gazed intently at her. "Once you get used to the idea, I'll try asking again."

Amu gave him a large smile. "Thanks, Ikuto."

He just grinned and lightly kissed the top of her head. He lay down on the couch and pulled her on top of him, happy that their quarrel had been taken care of. He didn't like fighting with Amu any more than she did with him. And that was how they fell asleep; Amu snuggled against his chest, Ikuto with his arms lovingly encircling her frame, and both of their stomachs dinnerless and growling.

**Yeah, yeah, it's boring I know, but I made Amu and Ikuto forgive each other (I wonder how long that's going to last...) and I'll be bringing Kirai's sister in in the next chappy. And thanks for all the reviews everybody. It was more than I'd hoped for and I thank you all sooooo much!! ^-^ Keep up the good work!! XD Hopefully, I'll update by the end of the week, but I may be slightly late. I have some things going on and don't have as much time online as usual... And i'll try to make the next chapter longer in order to make up for this one.**


	6. Chapter 5

**Hi, everyone! I'm sorry about the delay. My laptop had to go get repairs that I forgot about. But I made a nice long chapter to make up for it. And I was looking back at the recent chapters and couldn't help but think, 'This is moving a little slow.' So, this chapter advances along the plot line more, but it's the next chapter that really sets everything off. Well, I hope you enjoy!! :)**

**Disclaimer: Well, this is a _fanfiction _site; naturally, it's not mine... but a girl can dream, right?**

Nyx stepped off the airplane with an air of superiority about her though she definitely didn't exactly feel that way on the inside.

'That stupid Kirai; he can't do anything for himself,' she huffed to herself as she dragged her suitcase along behind her. 'Well, I'll get the job done right. Dad has nothing to worry about with me around.'

She quickened her pace as she made her way to the front doors. Her plane had been delayed by a few hours and she was dreadfully late. She'd probably not even have enough time to unpack her suitcase before she had to go to that barbecue Kirai had told her about.

Lost in her thoughts, she whipped around a corner and crashed into another traveler. The force of the impact knocked her over and she landed on her lumpy bag.

"Oww," she groaned quietly, rubbing the back of her head.

"I'm sorry," she heard a young man's voice say. She looked in front of her and saw the hand the boy had offered her. She gazed even farther up to look at his face which was in fact quite handsome. His hair was so dark that it appeared as though it was cut out of a part of the midnight sky devoid of stars. His eyes were as green as healthy spring grass and glittered with silent laughter.

"Yeah, whatever, it was your fault anyway," Nyx said, averting her eyes, hoping that he wouldn't notice the light blush on her cheeks that she got from her thoughts. He grinned and when she didn't take his offered hand, he reached down to grab her own. He gently pulled her to her feet, his eyes shining with amusement the whole time.

When she was back on her feet, Nyx hastily gripped her skirt's hem and pulled it back down to its original position. It was getting too close to her underwear for her liking, especially since she was in the presence of this guy who was looking at her with his head slightly cocked to the side.

"You're cute," he said, causing her to take a step back in surprise. He's quite blunt. He stretched his hand out again, this time to shake in greeting. "I'm Jack Lawrence."

"Good for you," she said in a bored tone earning a chuckle from Jack.

"I'm visit Japan from America," he added.

"That's nice."

She turned around to pick up her bag's handle and faced Jack again, making to walk around him.

"Well, American Jack," she started. "It's been nice talking with you. Now, I would appreciate it if you let me get on with my business."

"Sure, thing," he said, stepping aside. She nodded to him and continued on.

"Hey!" he called to her back. She stopped and turned to him with a look that said, 'Hurry up; I have to go.' "What's your name?" Nyx couldn't hold back her surprise and stared at him confused. "Well, what is it? Or do Japanese people not have names?"

"Of course we have names, asshole!" she shouted, but immediately covered her mouth afterward. 'Why did I just talk like that out loud?'

"Don't worry, I know you do," he said with a chuckle, interested in this other side of her. "So, what is it?"

"None of your business," she huffed, turning away. Jack grinned and waved at her retreating back, the gesture going unnoticed by Nyx.

'What the hell was with that guy?" she thought, her brows furrowed and feeling very irritated.

* * *

Waking up that morning wasn't something that Ikuto would classify as enjoyable. The lumpy sofa that he'd slept on with Amu that night definitely didn't do his back any favors.

"I'm starting to feel like an old man," he grumbled as Amu dragged him to the bedroom. "Well, I don't look like one though."

"At least not yet you don't," Amu said over her shoulder, earning a glare from Ikuto.

"And what are you doing?" he asked suspiciously. They had entered the bedroom and Amu was walking towards the closet. "I can dress myself."

"Didn't you say that a few times when we were captured by Halloween?" Amu asked, avoiding the question. She came out of the closet a minute later with a pair of dark jeans and a plain black t-shirt.

"Not feeling very creative, huh?" Ikuto asked with a smirk.

"Shut up."

"So, what's this for? Why are you picking out my clothes?"

"Um, we kind of have to go to the backyard of the apartment building for a barbecue with Kirai." Ikuto stiffened and looked at Amu exasperatedly. "Well, you don't have to go. Kirai only asked me after all." All she got as a response was Ikuto's frown deepening. "I just felt that you'd want to come along and stay with me." He rolled his eyes and turned away, taking the clothes and walking to the bathroom to change.

"Crap, that didn't go well," Amu sighed as she plopped herself down on the bed. 'Oh, well. The fact that he changed into the clothes probably means he's coming. This ought to be fun.'

* * *

When Amu opened up the door to the small yard that rested behind the apartment complex, she felt Ikuto's arm wrap around her waist.

"Ikuto, don't worry," she told him. "I told you that I don't think of Kirai like that."

"It's not you I'm worried about," he growled, staring at the target of their conversation who was I front of the grill. "It's him." Amu sighed and walked towards their neighbor.

"Hey, Kirai," she said when they got near.

"Oh, hey, Am-," Kirai started, but stopped once he caught sight of Ikuto. His eyes zeroed in on Ikuto's arm around her waist. 'What the hell? Last time I checked, they were fighting! Shit… Well, I guess Nyx will just have to go through with _that_ now.' "Hello, Ikuto."

"Hello, Kirai," Ikuto greeted, his expression stern.

"Anyway, you two," Kirai continued. "I'd like you to meet my sister, Nyx." He gestured behind him at a girl with long black hair and icy blue eyes.

"Hi!" she greeted cheerfully. On the inside, she sighed and thought, 'The things I do for my father…'

And thus the barbecue commenced. Once all the grilling was done, everyone sat down at a picnic table and started eating. Ikuto constantly watched Kirai and Kirai in turn watched Ikuto, trying to irk him for amusement. Amu and Nyx were conversing smoothly, genuinely getting along. Nyx found herself getting softened by Amu's smiles and giggles.

'Why am I feeling like this?' she questioned herself. 'Ever since I talked to that stupid Jack guy I haven't felt the same. Damn him!'

Without realizing what she was doing, Nyx started frowning at her food. Amu noticed her change in behavior and with concern asked, "Are you alright, Nyx?"

"Huh?" Nyx replied as she came back down to Earth. "Oh, yeah, I'm fine." She smiled at Amu who returned the gesture. Ikuto and Kirai watched this exchange curiously, each following their own train of thought.

'Amu seems to really like this girl,' Ikuto was thinking. 'I'm wary of her though since she is Kirai's sister.'

'Nyx looks like she isn't acting at all,' Kirai thought. 'It looks like she's generally happy to be around Amu. Well, she'd better not abandon the plan or Dad will have her hide.'

"Um, Amu," Nyx asked, "Would you like to come over for a sleepover tonight?"

"Sure, I guess," Amu said with a warm smile. "Where do you live?"

"I'm staying at Kirai's apartment."

"Then, absolutely no," Ikuto said firmly.

"Ikuto?" Amu asked, turning to face him.

"I'd like her to stay with me tonight," he continued, glancing at Amu. He tried to tell her with his eyes that he didn't want her near Kirai alone for a whole night and luckily, she got his message.

"Would you excuse us for a minute?" Amu asked sweetly as she pulled Ikuto away by his arm.

"What's wrong?" she continued once they were out of earshot.

"I don't want you in the same apartment as him without me there too."

"But it's a sleepover with Nyx, not Kirai. I'm sure we won't be near him that much."

"What if he tries something and I'm not around?" he asked, gripping her forearms tightly. She smiled at his protectiveness and lifted her hands to grip his arms in a reassuring manner.

"I'll be fine. You can trust Nyx."

"You just met her, Amu."

"Well, then you can trust me."

"Sometimes you put your trust in the wrong things."

"That's what the Guardians said when I didn't push you away," she reminded him with a small smile. "And look where that got me."

"Amu…"

For a while, neither of them spoke as Ikuto thought everything over. Eventually, he sighed deeply and looked at her seriously.

"Alright, Amu, you can go," he said somewhat reluctantly. "But if he does anything, I want you to scream at the top of your lungs. I'll hear you from out apartment."

"Thank you, Ikuto," she said, giving him a peck on the lips.

* * *

Nyx walked briskly along the sidewalk, a grocery bag in each hand. She had already grudgingly admitted to herself that she was looking forward to the sleepover with Amu. I would be a good opportunity to relax for once. Spotting the restaurant that was her destination, she quickened her pace, hoping she would get across the street before the crosswalk was overrun by cars.

She walked inside and hung her hoodie up on the coat rack and placed her bags in a cubby. She started to walk toward a table in the back when a warm hand grabbed her wrist and pulled her into a booth. She repressed her instinct to scream and twisted to look at who pulled her. When she saw who it was, she went still and her stream of thought froze.

Jack Lawrence, in all his glory, was holding onto her hand with a grin plastered on his face. Nyx could feel her face start to heat up and tried desperately to control it. She assumed she had failed to do so when he chuckled at her.

"Hey, mystery girl," he said in his warm voice. Their closeness was putting Nyx's mind in a daze while he seemed unaffected.

'How embarrassing,' was her one coherent thought.

"Um, hey," she said, thinking of nothing else to say.

"Want to eat with me?" he asked, looking at her expectantly. When he got no answer, he continued, "It's better than nothing, right?" He gestured towards the empty tables.

"Yeah, sure," she sighed and pulled her wrist away. She sat on the opposite side of the booth as him and an awkward silence fell. Or at least it was awkward to Nyx; Jack seemed unaffected again.

'Nothing fazes him,' she thought dryly as the waitress came up. They placed their orders and neither spoke afterward. Jack fiddled with his silverware and took a sip of his Coke. When he had his fill of the fizzy liquid, he leaned back in his seat and got comfortable.

"So," he began, grin still in place. "If I pay, will you tell me your name?"

Deciding to play along, she said, "Sure; why not?"

"Great," he replied, grin widening. Nyx felt herself soften and turned away, crossing her arms and furrowing her eyebrows as she tried to gain control of herself again. It felt just like how Amu described her feelings when Ikuto smirked: butterflies in the stomach and feeling as though your guard has been thrown to the wind.

"Um," she started, trying to start some sort of conversation. Right now, Nyx would take anything instead of this quiet. "Why are you here in Japan?"

"I'm a traveler and this was the next place on my list. I just returned to America from a trip to Australia about a month ago and here I am again."

"Doesn't your family miss you?"

"Yeah, they do a lot. I told them that after my three week trip here, I'd spend two months moving between my relatives' houses."

"You're only staying for three weeks?" When he cocked an eyebrow at her and his grin became crooked, she quickly came up with an excuse for having _that _embarrassing sentence bubble up through her lips. "That's not nearly enough time to see all the sights Japan has to offer."

He shifted his gaze to the table in a vain attempt to hide an amused smile. "Well, if that's the case, then I'll return here after a while and see more. That's the life of a traveler, my dear." Nyx blushed at his nickname for her and didn't respond.

"So, have you ever traveled?" he asked.

"No, I've never left Japan. I go to the southern tip of the main island for my work, but that's it."

"Well then, you'd better start. Don't you want to experience the rest of the world?"

"I guess…"

That was when the waitress arrived with the food. She asked if they needed anything else before leaving the check behind as she went to get the orders of the booth next to them.

"So, what were you doing at the airport?" he asked. "Getting back from your job?"

"Uh-huh."

"Who do you work for?"

"I used to work for my father when he owned a prosperous corporation. Now, I'm just going on his errands and in return he pays me. He has a lot of people asking for money down south."

"He sounds like a rich guy."

"He is."

Her tone was one that clearly said, 'I don't want to talk about my pathetic life right now, okay?' And Jack was normally someone who would listen to people and not push, but this girl intrigued him. So, he made an exception to his rule.

"You sound like you don't like your dad," he began cautiously.

"I don't," she replied bluntly.

"Why?"

She didn't respond. Jack figured that she wouldn't reply and turned back to his food, jabbing it absentmindedly with his fork.

"He makes me do things that I don't want to," she said quietly. Nyx didn't understand why she was telling this guy she barely knew, but there was just something about him that put her at ease.

"Like what?" Jack asked, for once his grin gone. But his tone sounded the same as normal. It made the subject easier to talk about; it made you think you were talking about something more normal. And Nyx could tell by the look in his eyes that he would listen intently to everything that came out of her mouth.

"I don't what to discuss the details, but my father isn't a nice man and he makes me do bad things in his place."

"Does he hurt you?"

"No, not physically. But mentally…"

"That's half good. Just look at that as though the glass is half full, not half empty." He smiled at her warmly and took her hand across the table. "I'm sure you'll be free of him eventually. Just have faith in yourself." Nyx was shocked by his words and nodded frantically. He laughed this time, not chuckled, and she liked how his laugh came from deep within him. It gave her the feeling that he was truly laughing and not faking it.

"Well, I'm done," he said, putting down his fork at the same exact time as Nyx. It seemed that he had been eating slowly toward the end so they would finish at the same time and neither of them would've felt awkward when the other person had no more food.

"Me too," Nyx replied and reached for her wallet. She was stopped by Jack's warm hand. She looked up at him and met his smile.

"I said I'll treat you as long as you tell me your name in return." She huffed and turned away from him, pocketing her wallet once more.

They got up and stopped for their coats. Jack, being the gentleman Nyx found him to be, put her jacket on her and picked up her grocery bags. They wordlessly walked out onto the street where Nyx looked at him, expecting her bags.

"So, where do you live?" Jack asked, grinning at her again.

"Why do you need to know?"

"Well, if I don't know where to go, where do you expect me to put these shopping bags?"

"Oh, no, I'll be carrying them home," she argued, taking them from him. "If my dad saw you from the window, he'd be mad and if my older brother saw you, he'd tease me mercilessly. And if Amu found you, she'd question me about it. And if her boyfriend, Ikuto, found you, he'd think you were a threat to him for Am-."

"Alright, alright, I get it," Jack complained, his head spinning. "I can't go near your house." He smiled at her and offered her the bags. "So, what's your name?"

"I'm Nyx," she said quietly, taking the groceries.

"Nyx," he said, trying it out on his tongue. "Just like the Greek goddess of Darkness."

"I'm named after her."

"Really?" he asked, scrutinizing her. "I don't see any evil on you."

"My dad chose the name."

"Oh, yeah…"

Their gazes locked for one more second before Nyx whipped away and started her walk home.

"Well, I have to go," she called over her shoulder. "Goodbye, Jack."

"I'll see you later, Nyx!" he shouted, feeling confident that they'd run into each other again.

"Yeah," she said quietly. "Later."

* * *

Amu placed the final item that she needed, her toothbrush, into her bag and zipped it up.

"Okay, Ikuto," she began, turning to face him. "You can pick me up at nine in the morning alright?"

"The last thing I'm going to do is forget," he replied whispering in her ear, making her turn red and giggle. His warm breath tickled her sensitive ears in a way that make her squirm in delight. Ikuto chuckled at her and kissed her deeply, encircling his arms around her. She willingly went along with him and he couldn't help but smirk.

"You're so cute," he whispered when they broke apart.

"Be quite," she mumbled in a way they both knew was cute.

"Well, it's time to go," she said, looking at the clock. Ikuto groaned loudly.

"The devil reborn is going to be in the same apartment as my Angel and I'm not even allowed," he complained as he heaved her bag onto his shoulder. "And my Angel definitely doesn't pack light."

"Shut up!" she shouted as they exited the apartment. When they were standing in front of Kirai's door, Ikuto put her bag down and turned to face her. She was moving to open the door when he embraced her tightly, keeping her arms against her sides.

"Ikuto..." she said, face red.

"I need my good night and good morning kiss," he said.

"Why do you want the morning one too?"

"You won't be there when I wake up so I need it now."

She sighed before replying, "Yeah, yeah." She reached up and kissed him softly on the lips. "Good night, Ikuto." And then she kissed him again. "Good morning."

"There's one more thing I want as payment for letting you do this," he said with a smirk.

"And that is?"

"Call me _that_," he told her mischievously.

"No way!"

"Alright then," he began, picking up her bag and starting to walk back to their apartment.

"Ikuto-koi," she said quietly.

"I couldn't hear you," he said in a sing song voice, stepping close to her once more.

"Ikuto-koi," she said again, more loudly.

"Now, say it in that sentence form I taught you."

"I love you, Ikuto-koi."

"Thank you, Amu-_koi_," he said, kissing her head. "Now was that so bad?"

"YES IT WAS!!"

He chuckled and turned on his heel, heading back to his apartment. "See you first thing in the morning, Amu-koi!"

"Bye, Ikuto-koi!" she said and immediately covered her mouth afterward. She could still hear his laughter when she stepped into Kirai's living room.

"Hey, Amu," Nyx greeted as she spotted the pink haired girl.

"Hi, Nyx," Amu replied, taking off her shoes.

"Hello, Amu," Kirai called from the kitchen table, reading a magazine.

"Don't waste your time greeting him," Nyx interrupted as she grabbed Amu's wrist. "There are no boys allowed on this sleepover!"

'Ikuto would be happy to hear that,' Amu thought, giggling nervously as she wondered what to do next.

"Come on," Nyx shouted as she pulled Amu to her room.

'She reminds me of Miyu,' Amu thought fondly as she went along.

* * *

"So, let's play another game," Nyx announced after they finished their sixth game that night.

"Okay," Amu said, surprisingly enjoying herself. She used to never be able to stomach her late sister Ami's games, but now she was laughing the whole time and felt incredibly at ease.

"Time for an easier game," Nyx continued. "We'll tell each other what our most prized possessions are."

"That sounds fun," Amu replied. "But difficult."

"Well," Nyx thought, tapping her chin. The name Jack Lawrence flashed through her mind and she was appalled by just thinking it at a time like this. "I'd have to say my brother, Kirai. We've been through so much together when we were young and have so many nice memories."

'Of throwing food at each other,' she finished in her head, actually looking back at the memories fondly.

"I know this is going to sound cliché," Amu began, turning a little pink. "But I'd have to say Ikuto is my most prized possession."

'Dad was right,' Nyx thought, surprised. But she quickly became sober. 'Amu's most prized possession is her lover… And I'm helping my dad take Ikuto away from her.' Nyx only then realized just how fond she was of Amu, though they had only just met. She quickly shoved those thoughts away. She had to tell her father what Amu's weakness was. It was what was asked of her.

* * *

"So, Nyx," Gaito said when she entered the room he was hidden away in, "What's our dear guest's weakness?"

Nyx stared at her father with a hard face while she was torn apart on the inside.

'Amu trusts me,' she thought. 'And I'm going to hurt her.'

"It's Ikuto."

"Ahh," Gaito said, leaning back in his chair with satisfaction. "I knew it. Well, Kirai, Nyx, I'll have you attack her weakness and tear her apart."

'What?' Nyx whispered mentally as Kirai asked, "How?"

"Kirai, you've already planted the seed of doubt in their relationship and the past few days have been watering it. It's ready to blossom and break them apart, but it needs something to set off that reaction. Both of you, do whatever you have to do to separate them.

"And I want it done tomorrow. I've waited long enough in this god forsaken room."

* * *

"So, what do you want to do to them?" Kirai asked his sister as they sat at the kitchen table, both Amu and Gaito fast asleep.

"I don't really want to do it at all."

"Why? Have you become attached to Amu?"

"Well, of course I have," she told him exasperatedly. "Don't tell me you haven't!"

"Be quite," he whispered harshly, glancing toward Gaito's bedroom door. When he heard nothing, he stood up with a sigh and got two glasses of water for himself and his sister.

"Amu's grown onto me as well," he answered when he sat back down, handing her a glass. "Though I am surprised you've gotten so close to her so quickly."

"I feel as though she's the friend I've never had," Nyx said, with a small smile. Kirai gave her a rare smile of his and put an arm around her shoulders.

"Well, you've always had me," he told her. "And you still do; always will too."

"Thank you."

A peaceful silence fell around the siblings. Nyx decided to tell him something that had been on her mind quite often that night.

"Kirai," she began. "I met this guy at the airport when I came here. His name's Jack Lawrence. He's one of the sweetest people you'll ever meet."

Kirai looked down at her soft face in shock. "You've fallen in love?! I haven't even found the right girl for me yet."

"I- I don't love him," Nyx stuttered, keeping her eyes averted. "He's just interesting, that's all."

"Well, how many times have you met him? I've never heard you mention him before."

"I've only spoken to him twice."

"Well, you must've fallen for him pretty quick."

"Shut up."

Neither of them could find what to say next so silence surrounded them once again, each left with their own thoughts.

"So why are you telling me about this Jack guy now?" Kirai asked after a while.

"I'm not sure," Nyx said truthfully. "Whenever we talk about taking Ikuto away from Amu, Jack just pops into my head and I feel a sudden pity towards both Amu and Ikuto."

"I know what you mean," Kirai said seriously.

"Huh?"

"I understand how you feel. I was once close to this girl I met on the street. We talked a few times and I fell for her kind of quick. We kissed a lot and on the night I was going to tell her I loved her, she said she was moving to France. I never told her how I felt about her and was feeling sick to my stomach when I watched her plane fly away, knowing that I'd probably never see her again since I was so tied to my father's orders.

"It's not the same thing as Amu and Ikuto's situation, but the idea of not being with the one you love is still there and it hurt just as much. That's probably what you're feeling too. You're unconsciously thinking of not being around this Jack guy you've grown fond of. It might not be love between you two yet, but your heart thinks it's a possibility so it doesn't want you to let him go."

Nyx was blown away by her normally stupid brother's wise words. 'Maybe there is a brain in that big head of his after all though it still seems he still only knows about love and romance anyway.'

"Is there anything we can do to help Amu and Ikuto?" she asked aloud.

"I don't know," Kirai said, frowning at the table. "We can't do anything right now. As we are currently, going along with the plan is the best option, because it's the only one."

"I know it's the only choice we have," Nyx argued. "But we just can't tear them apart. According to you, both of us can relate to them and wouldn't want it done to us."

"Still, there's nothing we can do right now," Kirai said. "Believe me, I don't want to do this any more than you, but we can't do anything except go along with the plan."

Nyx sighed and stood up. "I know, but still…" And with that, she went back to her room, leaving an unusually sober Kirai at the table who was staring at his glass of water with a contemplating expression. She walked back to her room where Amu was sleeping soundly on the floor. Nyx reached over a whipped a few strands of hair from Amu's closed eyes and whispered,

"I'm sorry."

**Wow, this chapter had a lot of page breaks, huh? Ah well; I like time skips. It's better than having me type really boring parts... right? Anyway, just so I can further make up for this chapter's lateness (IT TOOK AROUND HALF A MONTH :O), I'll write a one-shot. If you're interested in Amu finding a sick kitten and Ikuto helping her nurse it, then please check it out!!! :D**


	7. Chapter 6

**Yay, I'm not late!! Well, at least not that much... Anyway, I read a really good book today. It's called "Eyes Like Stars". The main character's hair is BLUE!!! She reminded me of Ikuto... so I bought it. ^-^ And it's _really _good. But I don't like the ending too much... Sorry, I shouldn't bore you with random info... ^3^**

**Disclaimer: I don't own anybody except the OCs. And if you read/watch Shugo Chara, it's easy to figure out who...**

Amu was pulled from her dreams by the loud ringtone of her cell phone. Groaning, she reached over to one of the outer pockets of her bag and yanked out her phone. She flipped it open and sat up, suppressing a yawn, and ran a hand through her tousled morning hair.

"Hello," she answered sleepily.

"Good morning, Amu-koi," Ikuto's husky voice greeted.

"Morning, Ikuto. Um, is there something you need at seven in the morning?" she inquired, taking a glance at the digital clock on Nyx's desk.

"You," he replied simply. Amu blushed. "You're blushing, aren't you?"

"I- I am not!"

"Sure you are," he said sarcastically. "Anyway, I'll be picking you up in half an hour."

"What? Why so early?"

"I miss you."

She blushed again.

"Well, I guess that's okay," she said hesitantly. "I'll see you then I suppose."

"Good. Love you, Amu-koi."

"I love you too," she smiled before the phone disconnected. She sighed and sharply snapped it shut. She placed it in her bag and shot a glance at Nyx's empty bed.

'Well, I'd better go tell her the news,' she thought, thinking of Ikuto. She picked an outfit out of her bag and slipped it one. It was a white v neck shirt that showed a little bit of cleavage. It was something Ikuto had chosen on one of the few days her went shopping with her. There was a large black peace sign on the front with black paint splattered around it. Her black skirt went to mid thigh and was the same style as her elementary school uniform, minus the plaid. She had black heeled boots with many buckles that went up to right below her knees.

She walked into the kitchen with her bag on her shoulder. She hung it on the back of her chair and took the bowl of cereal Kirai offered her. Nyx looked at her bag suspiciously before eyeing her closely. Amu said only one word:

"Ikuto."

"Oh," Nyx replied, looking nervously at her brother who pretended not to notice.

'This complicates things,' she thought glumly. 'But at least Kirai has offered up some hope…'

"Did Ikuto call you up or something?" Kirai asked Amu, placing his hands on the back of her chair as he watched her eat.

"Yeah," Amu admitted. "I woke up to it."

"Why'd he call so early?" Nyx asked with an innocent tilt of her head.

Amu's cheeks turned pink. "He said he missed me."

"Aww, how sweet!" Nyx said excitedly, clasping her hands together in front of her heart. 'Maybe Jack will eventually feel that way towards me.' Her eyes widened. 'Crap! What the hell am I thinking?' Her cheeks turned red and Amu gave her a questioning glance. Nyx just shook her head and turned pack to the newspaper on the table in front of her, trying to control her blush.

After about twenty minutes of eating, the phone rang and Kirai walked over to answer it. He responded shortly and hung up, turning to face the girls.

"Nyx, would you mind heading down to the lobby to pick up a package that came? It's kind of important so I don't want the apartment complex's employees handling it."

"Sure can do, Kirai," Nyx responded cheerfully. As she walked up to the front door, she thought, 'I hope your plan works, Kirai.'

Stepping out of the elevator, she saw no package like Kirai had said, but that didn't concern her. Gaito had asked his children to split Amu and Ikuto up and that was exactly what they came up with early that morning when both Amu and their father were asleep. But what their dad didn't know was about part 2 of their scheme. And this second part was what would hopefully put everything right again once they messed it up.

'I really hope this works,' Nyx thought nervously. 'I don't want to hurt either of them."

**~\*.*/\*.*/\*.*/\*.*/\*.*/~**

Back up in Kirai's apartment, Amu was collecting the last bits of her belongings while Kirai was in a back room. In front of him was his father, Gaito.

"So, you've come up with a plan?"

"Yep, dad."

"And you're sure it won't backfire?"

"How will I know until we try it out?" Kirai responded, earning a deep glare from his father.

"I will not tolerate this smart assed attitude of yours," Gaito growled. "You'll show your father more respect." When he got no reply, he continued on, "Well, I suppose I'll just have to trust you. Don't disappoint me, son. I know you're clever enough to do this right."

"I can assure you that I put a lot of extra thought into this," Kirai said, smirking on the inside.

"Good," Gaito responded, leaning pack in his swiveling black office chair and propping his feet up on the desk. "Now I can finally begin to put my plan of making my new corporation, New Year, into reality. Well then I'll be leaving through the back window once you're gone so I can complete my part in my own plan."

"Sure," Kirai said, not making any move to leave.

"And I need to leave now," Gaito replied, looking at his son expectantly.

"Good for you."

Gaito grinded his teeth together, "So, would you care to leave now?"

"Alright, I will." Kirai still didn't move.

"What I'm saying is that I want you to leave," he said slowly, thinking his son was a bit thick.

"Well, fine then, if that's how you feel," Kirai retorted emotionally, pretending to tear up. "How can a father hate his son so much? Don't you love me anymore?" He stepped out and shut the door, racking his frame with fake sobs.

Gaito groaned and leaned back more, putting an arm over his eyes. "Idiot."

Little did he know, Kirai was on the other side of the door, silently laughing his ass off.

**~\*.*/\*.*/\*.*/\*.*/\*.*/~**

Amu zipped up her bag after putting her toothbrush inside and went back into the dining room. She saw Kirai enter from another hallway, a little flustered as if from laughter.

"What's up with you?" she asked, amused.

"Oh, nothing, nothing," he said with a dismissive wave of the hand. He glanced at the clock. "Well, Ikuto should be here soon."

"Yeah, any minute," Amu agreed, shouldering her bag. "I had fun tonight. Make sure you tell Nyx if I leave before she comes back. Speaking of which," she glanced at the clock herself, "she's taking a long time, isn't she?"

"She likes to take her time," Kirai replied vaguely, hoping to make her suspicions go away. And he did, because she shrugged and gazed around the room, looking for something to talk about. Kirai on the other hand was preoccupied with the sound of approaching footsteps coming from the direction of Amu and Ikuto's apartment.

'Ikuto…' he thought. He glanced at Amu and saw that she was too absorbed in a painting to pay attention to the sound her boyfriend was making as he came down the hall. When the steps got loud enough, Kirai reached forward and gripped Amu's shoulders, wiping her around to face him. She looked at him inquiringly, but didn't comment. Kirai heard the footsteps stop right in front of the door. He dipped his head down and pressed his lips against the shocked Amu's.

"Hey, Amu-koi," Ikuto said as he opened the door. He took a step inside and froze. As you can imagine, the sight was something Ikuto had hoped her never would have to gaze upon. Amu's eyes stared at him with desperation, pleading him to understand that this was all a big mistake on her part since her mouth would be of no help. Kirai's grip was too tight for her to make any noticeable movements.

Besides, the moment only lasted a few seconds. Ikuto eventually managed to tear himself from his spot rooted to the floor and sprinted back through the door, desperate to get away and think this through.

"Ikuto!" Amu finally shouted around Kirai's lips. He pulled away and dropped his hands from her. She slapped his face with all her strength, making his head turn from the force and wiped her mouth with the back of her other hand. She then took off after Ikuto as fast as her legs could carry her. She took the stairs, guessing that was the route Ikuto took.

'Wait for me, Ikuto!' she thought. 'I can explain this!'

**~\*.*/\*.*/\*.*/\*.*/\*.*/~**

He slumped against the side of the elevator, eyes blank and wide. His hands clenched and unclenched at his sides. Tsukiyomi Ikuto, for the first time, openly allowed his shock to show through. He had taken the elevator since he didn't think he was stable enough to walk down multiple flights of stairs and he was grateful for the decision. His legs felt like jelly when he was standing still and his mind was still hazy from before.

"Amu…" he whispered brokenly. He'd never felt so empty before. A few years ago, he didn't let anybody get close to him and now, he understood why once more. When you let someone into your heart, you give them the ability to break it. And that was what Amu did.

This situation rang a distant bell in Ikuto's mind about the time back when he was a prisoner of Halloween. Amu had left him and he felt completely broken, as though he had been snapped in two by someone he felt he could trust. But in the end, that person had never hurt him at all. Amu was trying to protect him and it had all been a misunderstanding.

'Why am I remembering this?' he thought incredulously. 'This time it really is Amu's fault. But she always told me she loved me and there was always honesty in her eyes when she did. Still, there's no denying what I saw back there.'

He quickly stepped out of the elevator when it reached the ground floor and headed towards the glass revolving doors. He stepped outside onto the deserted sidewalk. It was so early in the morning on a Sunday; nobody apparently felt like rolling out of bed.

"Ikuto," a seductive voice said behind him. He turned around and came face to face with that Nyx girl. She took his arm and pulled his off to the side of the door. Ikuto didn't feel any suspicion though he certainly felt annoyed at having his arm touched by Kirai's sister. What he didn't notice was that Amu had just reached the bottom of the stairs and saw the flash of his blue hair outside the door. But Nyx did notice.

"What do you want?" Ikuto asked Nyx coldly. When she didn't say anything, he continued, "If you have nothing to say, than move."

Nyx glanced quickly through the window to Amu's figure at the door. She grabbed Ikuto's hands, disgusted with herself on the inside, feeling the same things as Kirai had when he kissed Amu. Speaking of Amu…

"Ikuto, I can explain!" she shouted as she burst through the door. Ikuto turned around to face her, ripping his hands from Nyx.

"Amu…" he began, looking at her sadly.

'I'm so sorry, Amu,' Nyx thought as she stepped in front of Ikuto and kissed him, hands resting gently on his shoulders.

'What?' Ikuto thought, stunned. He pushed her away and faced Amu only to find that she was no longer there.

'I was framed,' he continued mentally, 'by this Nyx person. Does that mean Amu…?'

He turned around to confront Nyx, but instead gazed at the empty street.

"So, how are you, Ikuto?" a familiar voice behind him said. He whipped around to face the voice, horrified by how well he recognized it.

Gaito stood before him, Kirai at his shoulder, and grinned down at Ikuto.

"Have you missed me?" the previous director of Halloween asked before hitting one of Ikuto's pressure points, knocking him out cold.

"Go find Amu," Gaito ordered his son.

**~\*.*/\*.*/\*.*/\*.*/\*.*/~**

Amu eventually came to a stop when the burning in her lungs became too much to bear. She placed her hands on her knees as she tried to regain her breath, each intake only hurting her inside instead of offering relief. When breathing o longer hurt, she straightened up and looked around. She was in a street many blocks away from the apartment complex though she wasn't sure where exactly. She collapsed onto a bus stop bench as she tried to regain her bearings.

What had happened back there? Had Ikuto been the unfaithful one all along? Once Nyx came, did he just continue suspecting Amu of secretly loving Kirai so that she wouldn't pay much attention to his doings? What if all those days he went to work, he'd been having affairs with other women; not just Nyx?

'No, that's ridiculous,' Amu thought. 'Ikuto loves me; he said so himself more times than I can count. But was he telling the truth? Was he just playing with me until he got bored? What if he's been doing this ever since I've met him and this is just the first time he was caught?'

But that thought quickly disappeared. She remembered all of the honest times she's had with him like at the amusement park and singing with his violin. He loved her back then and though she didn't realize it when she was eleven, she returned the feeling.

But still, that scene back there was real. He was kissing someone who she thought was her friend. There was no denying it.

'But I was framed,' she thought. 'What if this is just a mistake too? After all, he looked genuinely hurt when he saw me with Kirai.'

Yet, the image of Ikuto kissing Nyx wriggled itself back into her head. It seemed like she couldn't let it go. Maybe it would be best if she just left him and never came back. Even though he did this to her, Amu still felt love for the perverted cat. Sure, he most likely didn't return the feeling in the slightest, but that didn't change how she felt for him. And when you love someone, you only want to give them what's best, at all costs. And right now, it seemed that letting him live his life as a free person, not tied down by a permanent lover was the best thing for him. She'd just live quietly in the shadows with a new job, maybe even a new name. He'd never find her again.

"Because he doesn't want to see," she whispered. "Because he doesn't love me. Since he stabbed me in the back, I don't want to see him either."

Silence fell around her as she made her decision. A great feeling of loneliness filled her up. She was on her own, just like before. Sadness joined the loneliness and her eyes filled up with tears. She just wanted to feel nothing else ever again…

"Hi, Amu," someone said behind her. She turned around slowly, feeling numb, and found herself staring at Kirai. She didn't do anything when she saw him. She didn't feel anything. Kirai felt depressed just looking at her, but still went through with what Gaito told him to do. Hopefully if all went according to Kirai's plan, everything would be sorted out.

He smiled at Amu and asked, "Would you like a job? I know a corporation that's hiring. It's called New Year."

**Ooh, the DRAMA (kinda). Well, this definitely wasn't the longest chapter I've ever written... But the next chapter is going to be one of the last so it'll have a lot more action/explaining. So, since this story is coming to an end, PLEASE REVIEW!!! I'd like to thank everyone who reviewed the last chapter; I didn't even tell you all to "PLEASE REVIEW" at the end of the chappy. Thank you!! ^-^ And I'd expect a quick update for you reviewers so be on your toes.**

**Doesn't it feel like school just ended a few weeks ago? I know it does for me...**


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